Contrary to media stories that suggest CEO’s are the key to organizational success, the impact of CEOs, CFOs and other top-level executives on large firms is extremely limited. In fact, these top positions explain less than 5% of the variation in firm performance amongst Fortune 800 companies. Of course, senior leaders set the strategic direction [...]
Effective Leadership reduces sick leave. At least that’s what I’ve long believed based on client results.
All first and mid-level managers have the potential to transform the performance of their teams and the work life of their team members. They have the potential to make a real difference for their organisation and a real difference to the lives of their people.
There are two potential pitfalls with employee recognition that are worth bearing in mind. A recent business tip on employee recognition from the guys at Results.com has prompted me to comment on them and expand on my post “The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us”. Stephen Lynch, the Chief Operating Officer for Results.com makes a [...]
No doubt you pay attention to a range of numbers in your organisation. With frequent and detailed reporting, it’s easy to lose sight of the fact that in the end one key number is important.
That number might be profit per transaction, or profit per employee. However, as an end product it’s of more use to the head of your business unit than it is to frontline leaders.
From a frontline leadership perspective, you’ll find that a focus on one seemingly less important result can have the flow-on effect of dramatically improving the important numbers.
Your expectations of people and their expectations of themselves are key factors in how well people perform at work. Known as the Pygmalion Effect, the power of expectations cannot be overestimated.
When it comes to maximising employee motivation and performance, first and mid-level managers matter much more than senior leaders. And the reason is as old as the history of human kind.
If you’re interested in dramatically improving employee motivation and performance, then you’ll be interested in Daniel Pink’s latest book, “Drive – The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.”
In the modern western world the cult of work has become highly valued. Its most recent incarnation is the ‘always on’ culture. Being available via mobile and email, if not 24/7, then at least more hours each day than was acceptable a decade ago.
Of course it feels good to be busy, to submit to the siren call of activity. Yet there is no special virtue in hard work.
The great military and political leader of France, Napoleon Bonaparte, was quoted as saying, “A soldier will fight long and hard for a bit of coloured ribbon.”
In more recent times, the Corporate Leadership Council identified that fair and accurate informal positive feedback from a knowledgeable source (such as a person’s immediate manager) is the single most effective performance management lever available.